When images are to be recorded on a recording medium by a conventional digital image capturing device such as a digital still camera or digital video camera, the images are generally recorded by using the directories shown in FIG. 15.
FIG. 15 shows an example of the directories generally used in a conventional digital camera, digital video camera, or the like. A still image directory and print directory exist under a root directory in accordance with a given protocol. In this example, the still image directory is stored in accordance with a digital camera format (to be referred to as DCF hereinafter) protocol. Subdirectories “100JPEG” and “101JPEG” exist under directory “DCIM”. Under these subdirectories, there are recorded still image files with file names “STL—0001.JPG”, “STL—0003.JPG”, . . . , “STL—1002.JPG”, “STL—1003.JPG”, . . . . Recording such files in accordance with this protocol makes it possible to maintain replay compatibility with record/replay apparatuses, printing devices, personal computers, peripheral devices, and the like which understand the DCF protocol.
The print directory is recorded in accordance with a digital print order format (to be referred to as a DPOF hereinafter) protocol. A print list file is recorded as “AUTPRINT.MRK” under directory name “MISC”. Conforming to the DPOF protocol allows a printing device or the like which understands DPOF to perform printing in accordance with the contents of the print list file. A print list file is a file obtained by recording contents, of the recorded contents, which are desired to be printed/displayed as a list file.
Currently, contents which can be handled by devices such as digital cameras and digital video cameras which record/replay data on/from memory recording media include still images, sounds, still images with sounds, and consecutive still images with a limited pixel size and limited frame rate. Recently, increasing the capacity and speed of a memory storage medium, decreasing its cost, and improving the performance of a device have been creating an environment in which as contents which can be recorded/replayed, data with a TV size or more, low-rate data, and data with a full rate of 60 frames/sec as well as consecutive still images with limitations can be handled. That is, high-resolution moving images can be recorded/replayed on/from a memory storage medium. In addition, moving images and still images can be recorded on the same recording medium.
Furthermore, as the performance of a printing device improves and the print cost decreases, recorded contents are printed more frequently. In the future, with the popularization of devices which record moving image contents on memory recording media, it is expected that one scene of a moving image will be printed in more occasions (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-94904).
In current digital image capturing devices, however, there is no unified sequence (protocol) for recording moving images and still images on one memory storage medium, and hence no compatibility is ensured among device makers. In addition, peripheral devices such as a replay device which replays recorded contents, a display device such as a monitor, a printing device which prints out contents, and a personal computer which performs dubbing or network distribution cannot understand the recording protocol for memory storage media. Therefore, a dedicated device and application program are required. In addition, there is no unified sequence (protocol) for automatically printing a scene (cut) of a moving image. In the future, although the above standards may be unified, it takes a certain period of time to popularize and stabilize the standards. Furthermore, it is necessary to maintain compatibility among digital cameras, digital video cameras, and peripheral devices conforming to conventional standards.
It is an object of the present invention to provide new functions for moving image record/replay and printing functions while maintaining the compatibility between the record/replay standards and print list standards of conventional digital image capturing devices.